P4G Summit 2025: The story Vietnam wants to tell international friends

In the Joint Statement upgrading Vietnam-Indonesia relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership (March 10), General Secretary To Lam and Indonesian President Prabrowo Subianto agreed to expand cooperation to new areas for a sustainable future such as green economy . (Photo: Tuan Anh)

The theme of the P4G 2025 Conference proposed by Vietnam is “Sustainable green transformation, focusing on people”. How does the Ambassador evaluate this theme with the current trend of international cooperation in green growth?

We are living in an era where climate change and environmental pollution are global challenges, directly affecting the development of each country, community and individual. Therefore, the theme of Sustainable Green Transformation, with people at the center of the P4G 2025 Summit responds to the topicality and urgency in finding solutions to these problems.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia Ta Van Thong. (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in Indonesia)

International cooperation in promoting green growth has become an extremely important factor in achieving common efforts to implement sustainable development goals.

Countries around the world are increasingly aware of the urgency of transforming the development model from extensive growth based on natural resources to a green, sustainable development model that uses resources effectively, protects the environment and responds to climate change.

The P4G 2025 Conference theme emphasizes the central element of “people” in the green and sustainable transition, demonstrating a practical and effective approach.

Because the green transition is not only a requirement for environmental protection but also aims to improve the quality of human life. The sustainable development model needs to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of this development process without leaving anyone behind.

The international community has had many international cooperation initiatives in this field, including global commitments in the Paris Agreement on climate change, financial support programs and technology transfer from developed countries to developing countries.

However, for these initiatives to become a reality, close coordination is required between countries, regions and international organizations to develop appropriate policies, implement specific solutions and evaluate results.

This year's P4G conference will be an important forum for countries, international organizations and the business community to discuss and seek innovative and feasible solutions to continue promoting the green transition.

I believe that through international cooperation, countries can learn from each other and leverage global resources to achieve sustainable development goals. For Vietnam, this is an opportunity for us to affirm our position and commitments in building a sustainable future, protecting the environment and improving the quality of life for global citizens.

Geothermal energy is at the heart of Indonesia's renewable energy development. (Source: PLN)

Indonesia has the second largest geothermal potential in the world. Meanwhile, Vietnam has advantages in offshore wind power. How can the two countries cooperate to exploit and complement each other based on these strengths, Ambassador?

In the Joint Statement upgrading bilateral relations to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Indonesia and Vietnam, announced during General Secretary To Lam's State visit to Indonesia from March 9-11, General Secretary To Lam and Indonesian President Prabrowo Subianto agreed to expand cooperation to new areas for a sustainable future such as green economy, food security and energy security, Halal industry, fisheries, agriculture , maritime cooperation, science and technology, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and finance and banking.

Thus, promoting cooperation between the two countries for green and sustainable growth has become an important content that the leaders of the two countries are interested in and agree to implement.

Vietnam and Indonesia are two countries with great potential for renewable energy development. Cooperation between the two countries in this field will maximize sustainable energy sources, create opportunities for economic development and environmental protection. With the world's leading geothermal reserves, Indonesia has experience in developing and exploiting this energy source. Meanwhile, developing offshore wind power, especially in coastal areas, is an advantage for Vietnam with its long coastline.

Accordingly, Vietnam and Indonesia can cooperate in research and development of advanced technologies in the field of renewable energy, including more efficient geothermal exploitation technologies and optimal solutions for offshore wind power. Research centers, energy companies and investors in the two countries can cooperate in developing infrastructure, finding solutions and initiatives to reduce investment costs and increase operational efficiency in this field.

The two governments can consider policies to support trade cooperation, facilitate businesses in investing and implementing projects in the field of renewable energy, and cooperate in capital mobilization in implementing renewable energy projects.

As members of multilateral forums including ASEAN, the United Nations, APEC, and P4G, how can the two countries coordinate to promote green growth policies?

Vietnam and Indonesia are both active members of important multilateral forums such as ASEAN, the United Nations, APEC and P4G. The two countries will continue to maintain close coordination to promote common interests, including policies on green and sustainable growth, creating conditions for enhanced bilateral and multilateral cooperation to implement environmental protection initiatives and promote sustainable development.

Within ASEAN, the two countries are working together to build regional cooperation mechanisms to enhance renewable energy development, promote green transformation in industry and agriculture, and develop strategies to respond to climate change.

At the United Nations, Vietnam and Indonesia can coordinate to promote the implementation of sustainable development goals (SDGs), especially those related to environmental protection and climate change mitigation, and promote joint initiatives within the framework of international conferences on climate and environment.

Within the framework of APEC and P4G, the two countries can cooperate to implement investment initiatives in clean technology, technology transfer, and develop financial mechanisms to support green growth projects, aiming at exemplary cooperation models for countries in the region and around the world.

Vinfast electric car store in Indonesia. (Source: Jakarta Global)

Ambassador, please assess the role of businesses of the two countries in green growth cooperation. What plans has the Vietnamese Embassy in Indonesia implemented to increase the participation of businesses in this process?

Two-way trade turnover has grown strongly in recent years. The average growth rate in the 2022-2024 period is 17% per year, with the total value of bilateral exports increasing from 14.16 billion USD in 2022 to 16.7 billion USD in 2024. The two sides aim to soon reach the two-way trade milestone of 18 billion USD.

To achieve these results, businesses play an extremely important role. In particular, investment and business cooperation in green and sustainable growth are new areas, requiring businesses to have a breakthrough and bold approach to both implement specific initiatives and projects and ensure green, clean and sustainable standards for their products and services.

Regarding cooperation between Vietnam and Indonesia, promoting green economy, green transformation, applying clean technology, protecting the environment and developing electric vehicle ecosystem are new cooperation contents with much room for development. Enterprises from the two countries can exploit this huge potential through applying clean technology, investing in renewable energy projects, reducing carbon emissions, and producing environmentally friendly products.

One of the first successes of the bilateral cooperation contributing to green development is the investment and business activities of Vinfast Group in Indonesia.

In 2024, Vinfast Group will put into operation the SM Green taxi brand in Indonesia, along with installing the V-GREEN charging station system, establishing a 200 million USD factory in Subang, and will open dozens of more VinFast showrooms in Indonesia from now until 2027.

Also during General Secretary To Lam's visit to Indonesia in early March 2025, VinFast representatives announced plans to deploy 100,000 charging stations in Indonesia with a total investment of nearly 1 billion USD. VinFast also expressed interest in the renewable energy industry in Indonesia, specifically solar power projects in West Nusa Tenggara and wind power projects in Sulawesi.

Implementing economic diplomacy, the Vietnamese Embassy in Indonesia focuses on supporting and promoting trade in areas related to sustainable development, connecting businesses of the two countries through organizing business meetings and promoting the two countries' markets.

In addition, the Embassy also coordinates with relevant Indonesian agencies to support businesses in accessing policy incentives, especially initiatives related to sustainable development, to encourage businesses to actively participate in the cooperation process for green growth.

Thank you very much Ambassador!

The fourth Partnership for Green Growth and Global Climate Change (P4G) Summit, hosted by Vietnam for the first time, will take place from April 16-17 in Hanoi. Sideline activities will begin on April 14.

P4G currently has 9 member countries, including: Denmark, Vietnam, Korea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Colombia, Netherlands, Indonesia, South Africa and 5 partner organizations (World Resources Institute - WRI, Global Green Growth Institute - GGGI, C40 network - C40 cities, World Economic Forum - WEF and International Finance Corporation - IFC).

P4G has gone through three Summits hosted by Denmark, South Korea and Colombia, aiming to promote public-private partnerships and create a coalition of political leaders to implement the Paris Agreement on climate change and the 2030 sustainable development goals.

Hosting this year's Summit is considered an opportunity for Vietnam in general and Hanoi in particular to promote green tourism, strengthen relations with partners, mobilize resources for socio-economic development, respond to climate change and sustainable development of the country.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/hoi-nghi-thuong-dinh-p4g-2025-cau-chuyen-viet-nam-muon-ke-voi-ban-be-quoc-te-310105.html